Posted:27th Mar 2006Something happened to me today and it made me really sad I was out at the park like I always am on any day that gets above 45 degrees farenhight and was having a great time with my poi. Smile from ear to ear because I figured out some new moves and had just had a guy come up and watch me and compliment me on what I was doing. So I'm there spinning and happy and across the field comes a group of kids, ages roughly between 4 to 12, and thier mom? babysitter? dont know but there was 10 of them in all. Now from a distance I could hear the kids saying things like "WOW!!!!", "Look at that!!!" and "How cool" ect.... I started to smile even more and as they got closer they started to head my way. I was excited because I love to show people new things and talk about what I'm doing. Anyway I could hear thier care-giver say "no no come on guys we're going to the playground" which was a short distance from where I was spinning. Most of the kids listened after the third request by thier care-giver but one little girl was facinated and kept walking tward me. Then I hear the woman say "Allie Allie get over here people like that do drugs and are dangerous!" I stoped dead in mid swing, I was blown away!!!!! I went from happy to sad in that instant. It made me wonder if she would've said that if I was spinning fire in a troupe at an event and not just a guy in the park with his fluffy poi and dog. I sat down and had a cigarette and thought about what she said and it saddened me even deeper because there are now 9 little kids who are going to grow up thinking that and one adult who was responsible for those kids to fear something they were so facinated by. Anyway I tried for a few minutes to keep spinning and just didnt feel it so I packed up and went home to talk to my community here about it. So has anything like this happened to any of my fellow HoPpers? If so how did it make you feel? If not how do you think it would make you feel?

Posted:28th Mar 2006Fortunately I have never had an experience like that, and I hope I never will.

And if I had have, instead of sitting down, feeling sad and smoking I would very calmly and very seriously have asked her what she meant by that and inform her that I was extremely offended and why.

Not that she would have listened but perhaps the kids would have, which meant they would have seen not only a beautiful art but someone strong doing it.

And about the smokin' thing. I agree. I think that from a closed-minded individuals perspective, putting down the poi to have a cig would reinforce the idea in my head about "people like that". *shrug* It sucks but the world won't change unless we are proactive in changing our own roles within it.

Pele Higher, higher burning fire...making music like a choir"Oooh look! A pub!" -exclaimed after recovering from a stupid fall"And for the decadence of art, nothing beats a roaring fire." -TMK

The caretaker in this case saw the poi person as dangerous and possibly under the influence of drugs. As mentioned earlier, she was charged with the care and safety of these children, so her words could have simply been a measure of her situation (the need to keep the children away from bad influences).

If part of a private panel and then asked a series of questions regarding the performance, she would be more inclined to see the spinner as a professional or just a person with a unique hobby. The degree to which she truly thought you were dangerous, or a drug user is unknown.

I think you did the right thing by not confronting this person on the issue. If they had already taken an opposite opinion regarding your art, chances are very unlikely that you could change her mind. Any confrontation would be provoking conflict.

Posted:28th Mar 2006Welll I think a lot of people beleive spinners do drugs. I was spinning with my girlfriend at a concert last year and no less then 10 different people came up to me and asked "hey you must have something good to be doing that" or "Do you have any acid" I know with the dreads and everything I look the part of someone who might have drugs on them but I didn't and after a while it really started to bug me.

It all worked out though, after the first band finished and I sat down this guy came up to me, shook my hand and said "I have been watching you spin those things for the past half hour and it's amazing. I just really wanted to let you know I enjoyed watching you alot." And that ladies and gentmen is one of the reasons why I love to spin.

Posted:28th Mar 2006When I stayed with my aunt in England I had to be very careful about mentioning my poi spinning because apparently when he was interviewing nannies, one was a spinner and my aunt was like "i dont want that kind of bad hippy influence on my children" or something along those lines.

i would have changed ***** to phallus, and claire to petey Petey

Rougie: but that's what I'm doing hereArnwyn: what letting me adjust myself in your room?..don't you dare quote that on HoP...

That's horrible! You should have ran over and said:"Excuse me, only an overwhelming majority of us do drugs and an overwhelming majority of us spin fire in dangerous sitations but not ALL of us!"

Written by: Pele

Fortunately I have never had an experience like that, and I hope I never will.

And if I had have, instead of sitting down, feeling sad and smoking I would very calmly and very seriously have asked her what she meant by that and inform her that I was extremely offended and why.

Not that she would have listened but perhaps the kids would have, which meant they would have seen not only a beautiful art but someone strong doing it.

a beautiful woman such as you Pele probably couldve pulled that off but I really think I wouldve just scared her or started an arguement in front of those little kiddies and that was the last thing I wanted to do.

Written by: TheGreatSaint

think you did the right thing by not confronting this person on the issue. If they had already taken an opposite opinion regarding your art, chances are very unlikely that you could change her mind. Any confrontation would be provoking conflict.

Yeah I thought it was best to leave it alone. If there were no kids present I deffinately wouldve said something though.

Written by: Rouge Dragon

When I stayed with my aunt in England I had to be very careful about mentioning my poi spinning because apparently when he was interviewing nannies, one was a spinner and my aunt was like "i dont want that kind of bad hippy influence on my children" or something along those lines.

Posted:29th Mar 2006I've spun glow sticks and had people drive up who stop roll down the window and ask kif i was on X or how much i take.. granted they were on a bone drive or w/e that druggy lyngo is. I've never had Anyone ask me when i spin my fluffies or flags.. nto even at a club. i actaually get people who respect me at clubs becase of my spinning skills.

Posted:29th Mar 2006I'd like to think shouting back "so do you" would have helped. but it wouldn't still, if that offended her you could then point out you felt the same and maybe she should think about what she's saying in future.Being British of course, I would have smiled, done nothing, walked home, and then fumed in impotent solitude for a while. -meh-

Posted:29th Mar 2006being stressed isn't an excuse, if you can't keep a clear head while looking after a bunch of kids, why are you in charge of ten of them?!tell her not to talk to strangers or something, it'll have the same effect and won't offend anyone. If you said that about a black guy you'd get nugged over for a hate crime.*sticks tongue in cheek* Spinners are a social minority too!! stop the hate! stop the prejudice! equal pay and voting rights for spinners!

Posted:29th Mar 2006Well I'd like to think that I wouldn't be rude to a stranger to get a child under control.

And maybe the person addressed it at the girl and not Loki, but sound waves travel! And what she said was, in my opinion, totally out of order.

Having said that, you've got a point, I haven't tried to control 10 kids at once so perhaps whereof I know not thereof I should not speak.

And yes, point taken, if you take everything to heart then your heart gets hella heavy. Still though, being labelled as a drug fiend and a dangerous person by a total stranger would probably get to me, no matter how much I tried to let it go. And if it wouldn't get to you then hey, I'd love to be as equanimous as you.

Anyway, sorry if I sounded a bit harsh in my last post, ZeroG. No offence intended.

If so, you'd understand the need sometimes to pull any trick out of your hat that stops a little girl from chatting up complete strangers in public parcs behind your back ...

I wouldnt read a vicious socio-profiling of the whole poi ciommunity into a sloppy babysitter remark trying to keep her kiddy herd in one place ...

More poi less paranoia folks ...

Actually yes yes I have .....I have two daughters ages 6 and 9, thier pics are in my gallery, and have on many occations been a solo caregiver to lots of kiddies at once. The remark she made was not ok and what I wouldve done if I was her wouldve been to ask me if the kids could sit and watch seeing as all of them were interested it wouldve given her a little break while they all sat and watched. As to what she said to "herd" the little-un I think all she needed to say was STRANGER DANGER STRANGER DANGER and that wouldve sufficed.

Written by: Boz

If you said that about a black guy you'd get nugged over for a hate crime.

Thats kinda how it made me feel subsitute me for a black man apply the same statement and then how ok is it ZeroG?

Written by: Boz

Spinners are a social minority too!! stop the hate! stop the prejudice! equal pay and voting rights for spinners!

BUT I was just trying to take the heat out of this "if you let any stupid remark by any stupid passer-by in any publik park to your heart, goodnight ..."

also, I was giving the benefit of doubt to a stressed out babysitter trying to keep a bunch of kids in 1 place and thuis using a stupid lame excuse..."Allie, please come" "why" "because we all go to the playground""no, I want to watch this""Allie, please come here""No, I want to watch""Allie pleeeaase ...""Nooo, ahhhhh"

In the meantime 50 yards away, 1 kid is drowning in the parks pond, another kid pushes his friend off the swing breaking hios leg, later the lawyer father of the 2 will successfully sue the babysitter of neglect ...

In the meantime 50 yards away, 1 kid is drowning in the parks pond, another kid pushes his friend off the swing breaking hios leg, later the lawyer father of the 2 will successfully sue the babysitter of neglect ...

like i said, if you can't control ten kids, don't take 'em to the park.

Posted:31st Mar 2006I get comments like this all the time because I'm a DJ. I even had an argument with an my aunt because she said that I shouldnt be allowed to see my cousins as she didnt want them to be involved in 'those kinds of things' or mixing with 'those kinds of people'.

People are prejudiced against so many groups. No one cares if it is not one of your standard 'isms' though. I've just learned to deal with it. It makes me laugh most of the time. People can believe whatever they want about me. I know that I work hard to maintain my DJ'ing and spinning. I bet very few of them can claim to have the same dedication to anything. There really are not many people who work a standard week and give up most of their free time to learning new skills on a daily basis.

Kids will discover the truth for themselves. I sure did. And I grew up in the age of tabloid anti-rave hysteria.

Posted:31st Mar 2006i just dont see why people have such an obsession with putting labels on things. there is only one label we havei n common, that is humanthe rest of it is surface shite that people base on quick decisions. i get hassled all the time by all manners of people, and every time i say you are wrong, i am not a hippy/druggie/raver, i am sarah.

and that woman should know better, man if she looking after 10 kids she shouldnt be cos thats too many, if there all hers she needs to shut her legs, and if there not then she needs more help! and she should be more open minded aswell, you should be open if you look after kids for a profession after all most behaviour you do will influence them, imagine every time she sees a spinner or a 'hippy' and she makes comments...grr people like that piss me off no end

Posted:5th Apr 2006Saying the you do drugs and are dangerous are just an easy excuse for her to explain why she didn't want the kids watching you.

Perhaps she really did think you were dangerous, not in the physical sense but in the sense you might give the kid the 'wrong' ideas. Ideas like its fine to be in the park on your own smiling to yourself. To some people that is REALLY dangerous!